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PH Soil Values


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So, I now have a Ph meter: Hanna checker 1. It's a small a reliable meter and for a good price aswell, I also bought the buffer solutions for calibration and the ph- solution :)

I'm a soil grower and my questions are:

What should be the values for the the nuts solutions and for run-off coming out of the soil?

Wend flushing what should be the value for the water I will be running trough?

How often should I check the ph value of the soil?

Thank you, my friends.

Some more advices or questions that I should se answered about this will be apreciated!

I now have the means to control the ph of my plants and I'm very pleased about that, since it's all for the good health of my ladies :)

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Guest superbluehaze

Hi Romeu,

I am pleased you got yourself a meter, but you cannot meaure the ph of the soil with it.

You can only measure the Ph of the nutrient that you feed to the plant, or a solution of your soil and water.

To measure Ph in soil you need a soil measuring kit.

So much happens in soil.

There are more microbes in a handful of soil than all the people who have ever lived on the earth;

soil is full of organic matter, which the microbes are continually breaking down. This causes your Ph fluctuate and change continually; Most soil growers buffer their soil to prevent the ph going to either extreme(too acid or too alkaline), but the Ph still fluctuates continually.

The major advantage of growing in a soil less medium(such a perlight, Coco or rock wool etc) is that EC and PH levels can be precisely measured and controlled.

I think in actual fact that you are using a soilless mix, as from memory, the company guanteed ph levels, and for them to be ale to do that, then it is a soil less mix;

If not, next grow use a soil less medium, then you will need your pen, even more so.

happy growing, mate

john

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Thanks Fuzzy, John.

I would like to know about the ph of the water that I will use to flush.Also, and for example: after feeding with a nuts solution of ph6, what should be the ph of the runoff water?

I few time ago I read that 5.8 should be the optimal ph for the feeding solution so there wouldn't be no nutrient lockout.. Is this like that?

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Guest superbluehaze

hi Romeu,

I am still not sure if you are growing in soil or in a soil less medium.

Anyhow, if you are growing in soil, then this is not the right information for you.

You flush with Ph adjusted water(5.8 to 6.2).

In a soil less mix the Ph is set by the medium, and within narrow parameters, does not change.

It is not the PH that you measure when flushing, but EC levels.

The Ec level of the Flush is known, and the fluid is collected after it has come out the bottom of the pot, and its EC measured.

If the EC is higher than what you put into the pot, then you know salts are building up in your medium.

One then flushes until the EC is the same.

.

When you flush it is to remove any excess of salts from your medium.

If salts build up in your medium, the high levels become toxic to the plant.

If you are growing in soil, then none of this is going to work.

The above is only necessary in a soil less medium.

Growing in Soil involves a totally different approach.

happy growing,

john

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Guest superbluehaze

hi Romeu,

Mate none of what you are trying to do is going to work, because they are hydro techiques and have no accuracy or precion in soil.

happy growing,

john

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Guest superbluehaze

Hi Romeu,

My friend I am a soil less grower; I use an inert medium with a stable ph, because it is inert; it has no organic matter in it.

Many mixers of so called soil are really soil less mixes with no or little organic material in them.

It is good to check the pH of your nutrient solution, but pH and EC are not as critical as in hydroponics, because so much is happening in the soil, as it contains organic matter which cause your ph to fluctuate quite a bit, but this is not as critical as when one is using an inert medium as the organic matter and the soil act as a buffer.

Romeu search the net, and you will find some excellent articles on organic growing

Here is something which may help you:

Mix modification When soilless mix suppliers prepare their mixes they are not gearing them to any specific plant and certainly not the needs of cannabis.

The pH and porosity is designed to provide adequate conditions for a wide variety of plants.

Some plants like a low pH, some like a high pH, some like a wetter root environment, and some like it drier.

Most soilless mix takes a middle ground on these issues.

All of these factors can be easily adjusted to better suit the needs of cannabis.

Extra dolomite lime can be added to raise the pH from the usual pre-adjusted 5.8 into a more acceptable 6-7 range (6.5-7 seems to work best for organic nutrients). Additional perlite will increase the drainage and amount of air space in the medium more to Mary Jane's liking. good soil makes for happy plants.

Testing soil Cannabis grows best in soil at a pH between 6 and 7 and an EC of 1 to a low 2, depending on the strain.

The absolute lowest you should ever let your pH drop to is 5.8, as below that toxicity problems are likely and accumulation of heavy metals in the bud become more probable.

Both pH and EC in the soil can change drastically depending on the water source, nutrients, and other factors.

High phosphorous synthetic "Bloom Boosters" can easily make soil pH drop drastically especially if using cheaper grade fertilizers, which do not have "pH stabilizers" included in the formula.

Many veg formulas with large amounts of urea or ammonium nitrate in the formula can also cause rapid pH decline.

Water or fertilizers containing high amounts of calcium or potassium generally increase the pH of the medium over time.

Most of the higher end hydroponics fertilizers on the market are well balanced and adjusted to help avoid wide pH swings.

Always remember that in soil the pH or EC or the irrigation water is not as important as the actual pH or EC of the medium. Medium conditions can be measured by catching leachate for testing, using high quality soil probe meters, or mixing a soil sample with distilled water before measuring. Leachate tests can be considered fairly accurate at determining the actual pH and EC, provided it is not a heavy leach, which may alter the readings.

About 5% leaching is about right for this.

Soil probe meters are available for both pH and EC, although they are a fair bit more expensive than a normal meter. These probes will give the most accurate reading, but the cheap versions are no good (anything under $100 is suspect). As distilled water has an EC of 0 and almost no buffer capacity, mixing a soil sample at a water to soil ratio of 2:1 will provide an accurate yet diluted EC measurement and a very accurate pH indication. Let the mixture sit for twenty minutes then take a measurement using standard meters or test strips. The pH can be taken as is, but the EC must be multiplied by 2.4 to take into account the pore space and dilution factor.

I hope this helps my friend, but you have to decide if you are going to use a soil less medium or soil, as the techniques for both are similar but not the same.

happy growing,

my friend, john

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